


In Pursuit of the Green Card

by heavendoyoung



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Best Friends, Crack, Fake Marriage, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Lawyer!Jaehyun, M/M, Mutual Pining, Professor!Doyoung, Slow Burn, dojae married, gay and in love, stream kick it, they scam the government, very little angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-23 09:30:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23009362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heavendoyoung/pseuds/heavendoyoung
Summary: “This is a bad idea.”“It’s notterrible,” Jaehyun chimed in.“You’re out of your mind,” Doyoung stares at him in shock.“Fine, let’s bet,” Ten knows how to rile Doyoung up, Taeyong who was barely paying attention to this conversation chuckled because he, too, knows that Doyoung never rejects a bet, “what about our netflix subscription? You’re paying for it for the next 10 years if you fail to get that sweet sweet green card in the next 6 months.”Doyoung huffed, “fuck you. Fine,” he turns to Jaehyun, “we’re getting married.”“Sure, baby.”Dojae bffs!AU in which they get married to get a green card for Doyoung.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung
Comments: 42
Kudos: 543





	In Pursuit of the Green Card

**Author's Note:**

> please be reminded that this is a work of fiction! and please do not do this in real life, it is very illegal.
> 
> for the sake of this fic, jaehyun is american
> 
> un-betaed, sorry for any mistakes...

“And why would we do that?” Doyoung questions.

“I don’t know? Scam the system, eat the rich.” Ten replied as he shrugged his shoulder.

“Well it sounds stupid.”

“Doyoung it’ll get you more job opportunities.”

“You know that I love my current job.”

“Yeah, well, aren’t you afraid that one day they’ll want to stop sponsoring your work visas and fire you for someone _American_ ”

Doyoung sighed. He knew Ten was right; he’s told him that before, it’s already nearly happened twice but his department was able to fight for his position.

“Besides, it’s not like you’re gonna have to drastically change your lifestyle. Your passport will still be Korean, you can come in and out of the country easier and look at you,” Ten gestures to Doyoung and Jaehyun’s current position on the couch, with Doyoung’s head on Jaehyun’s lap, “you’re practically married.”

Doyoung looks up just to see Jaehyun smile at him endearingly. It was normal for them to be physically affectionate; they both really need physical affection. 

“You do realise that I can get deported once we get divorced, right?”

“Ah, you see, I looked this up, and technically, the USCIS has no reason to deport you if you get approved for the permanent resident card, which just means that you have to stay married for two years. Seeing that you are both single and attached by the hip already, there is no real reason for you to get divorced within two years. I’m sure your future significant others will understand.”

“This is a bad idea.”

“It’s not _terrible_ ,” Jaehyun chimed in.

“You’re out of your mind,” Doyoung stares at him in shock.

“Well, I mean, you’ve stressed about being fired because of visa issues and stuff like that, getting you a green card just means that you and those around you won’t have to stress so much about keeping your job.” Jaehyun reasoned and Doyoung was more convinced. “What I’m saying, is that, I wouldn’t want you and your coworkers to fight for your job again and get you a bad rep.”

“Yeah Dons, we don’t want to burden your coworkers.”

Doyoung pouts and mumbles, “they don’t think I’m a burden.”

Jaehyun reaches to squish his cheeks, “it’s up to you. I don’t mind sharing my privileges.”

Doyoung sighs in defeat, he knows they have a better point, but just to spite Ten, he says, “No.”

“Fine, let’s bet,” Ten knows how to rile Doyoung up, Taeyong who was barely paying attention to this conversation chuckled because he, too, knows that Doyoung never rejects a bet, “what about our netflix subscription? You’re paying for it for the next 10 years if you fail to get that sweet sweet green card in the next 6 months.”

Doyoung huffed, “fuck you. Fine,” he turns to Jaehyun, “we’re getting married.”

“Sure, baby.” Jaehyun’s dimples showed and his eyes turned into crescents. Doyoung found himself blushing slightly. He doesn't know why. 

Ten, on the other side of the room, rolled his eyes. _Maybe it’s finally time he realises._

The night ended with Ten passed out on the floor, Taeyong sleeping in his room, and Doyoung and Jaehyun snuggling on the couch.

Marry your best friend to get a green card. Sounds simple, right? You know each other well, you practically live together, and neither of you plan to marry other people in the coming years. Jaehyun certainly does not think so. Not when you’re so in love with the other party. 

The next day was a Sunday. They left Taeyong’s house early and relocated to Jaehyun’s apartment. Together they looked through the logistics of getting married, the green card interview, and the steps after the permit gets approved. They decided to get their marriage license next week, not before throwing a bachelor’s party, then apply for the green card right sometime the week after. They spent the rest of the day sorting out their story, deciding to stick as closely as possible to their real life as possible. They’ve dated since freshman year, engaged at the end of september, and plans to spend the rest of their lives together. They spent the rest of the evening scrolling through websites that sell cheap rings and venues where they can host a small wedding. 

At night they cooked dinner together, simple spaghetti and meatballs, and shared a bottle of wine. Ten was right, it’s really not much different now. 

Doyoung went back to his apartment the next morning, grabbing his stuff for school and left swiftly to be on time. He put on his glasses, wore his hair down because he’s running late, slipped on a white button up and some black slacks before sliding his black oxfords and a long jacket on. 

He arrived on time and is glad to see that most if not all his students came to today’s lecture. Having been a college kid only six years ago, he knows how dreadful morning lectures are, but he’s happy that his students do generally enjoy his lessons.

“Good morning, class.” Doyoung beamed widely at his packed lecture hall.

“Good morning Professor. Kim!” A few students from the back shouted back.

“Thank you,” Doyoung chuckled, “today we’re gonna continue talking about multivariable calculus. But before that, let’s briefly recap what we learnt last session…”

The lesson continued for an hour and he wrapped up his lesson at exactly 9:00 am.

A few students rush out the door as soon as he announced that class was over, Doyoung shakes his head affectionately at the sight. From his peripheral vision, he sees a figure walking towards him, he turns his head to see his best friend with a small bunch of flowers. 

He couldn’t help but facepalm while giggling to himself. 

He accepted the flowers when Jaehyun came closer and welcomed the other man with a big hug. “Thank you,” a chuckle, “what brings you here today?”

It wasn’t the first time Jaehyun’s visited Doyoung in school, in fact he’s done it quite a few times and some shameless students have asked for his “hot friend’s number”. He never gave it out because he deemed it inappropriate. 

They both pulled away from the hug. Jaehyun asks, “Why? Can’t I just visit my fiance?”

Doyoung guessed that some students heard what Jaehyun said because he heard a few gasps from the lecture seats. 

“Well, you can. I was just wondering.” Doyoung put the flowers up to his nose to take a smell. “Don’t you have work to do?”

“Yeah, I actually do. I actually have to go, like, now.”

“You’re an idiot,” Doyoung called lovingly.

“Your idiot,” Jaehyun replied, sending him a wink while walking away, “I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah, sure. I can pick you up today.”

Jaehyun shoots him a big smile.

Once the younger left the room, some of his favourite students, let’s be real, all teachers have favourites, came up to his lecture desk.

“Mr. Kim, you’re engaged? Since when?”

“Chenle, that is none of your business,” he scolds fondly, “now shoo, head to your next class.”

The boys dropped it at that and soon, everyone was out of the lecture hall.

“I can’t believe I had to hear from some students gossiping to find out that you were engaged. What the fuck, Kim? Since when?” Sooyoung asked with curious eyes.

“Since when was it your business?” He retorted.

“Oh come on.”

“Buy me lunch and I’ll consider it.”

“Deal.”

The pair bonded well as they were two of the youngest professors in Chicago and despised boomers and hets. They had lunch together and Doyoung told her about their elaborate plan to get him a green card. 

“Wow, I’ve always heard stories like this but it’s never occurred to me that you would be starring in one.”

“Yeah, I know, it sounds a bit insane.”

“Dude, what if you fall in love with him? Are you guys gonna stay married for real? Oh my is this the beginning of a love story?”

Doyoung snorted, “no. I don’t think that will ever happen.” His voice was laced with doubts.

As he promised, he picked Jaehyun up from work at night. It’s one of the rare days where he doesn’t have night lectures; he likes to spend these rare days with his favourite person.

“Okay, so we can get some rings from a local jeweller, I don’t think it’s too expensive. She was one of my clients, sued her manufacturers for not using pure elements. She seemed pretty nice.” Jaehyun told Doyoung as the latter drove them to Jaehyun’s apartment. 

“Sure, are you free tomorrow lunch? We can go look at it together.”

“I think I’ll only be free from 11 to 12. I have to meet with a client in Evanston tomorrow at 1 so I need to leave pretty early.”

Doyoung pouts, “my lecture doesn’t end until 11:20. We won’t have much time.”

“I can pick you up at 11:20 sharp. You’re pretty decisive, we won’t need very long.” Jaehyun reassured him. Planning a marriage in a week can be a bit stressful.

Doyoung lights up again, “Okay!”

When they finally arrived at Jaehyun’s apartment, Jaehyun immediately dove for the couch and lied flat on his back. 

“Long day?”

“Yeah.” Jaehyun replied with a frown. He made grabby-hands in the air until Doyoung headed towards his embrace. 

“You should shower first. I can order take out.” 

Jaehyun hums as he let Doyoung go. Doyoung orders fried chicken for them both from their favourite place. It was only about 5 minutes later that Jaehyun came out of the shower. In a tight shirt, sweat pants, wet hair, and all his glory. 

Doyoung involuntarily gulped. 

Jaehyun smirked as he walked to his kitchen to grab a glass of water. 

“I'm gonna shower now. I ordered chicken, it should come any minute now.”

Jaehyun nodded as he drank his water, and Doyoung headed to Jaehyun’s closet to find some pyjamas. 

When he’s out of the shower, he noticed that Jaehyun’s already picked up the food and has set it up on his bed-top table. Doyoung’s eyes gleamed at the sight of the steaming chicken and wasted no time jumping on bed as well. _Jaehyun tried his oh so very best to keep his eyes off of the way Doyoung fitted in his sweater and shorts._

“Hey, what about that guy that you like? Wouldn’t this,” Doyoung wiggled his finger between them two, “ruin your chances with him?”

Jaehyun almost choked on his chicken. “Nah, I don’t even plan on asking him out.”

Doyoung scrunched his eyebrows, “why not?”

“Just don’t feel like it, I guess.”

“You know, you have no, literally zero, obligations to go through with this right? You know your happiness comes first.”

“It’s fine, he’s not in my league,” Jaehyun offered a sad smile.

“Are you- You can’t be serious right now. Out of _your_ league? I’ve never heard of that.”

Jaehyun chuckled, but Doyoung could tell it wasn’t sincere, “It’s fine. Just drop it.”

And so he does, unknowing he’s the one who’s stolen his best friend’s heart.

They gobbled down the fried chicken, a few cans of beer, and a few episodes of Seinfeld before calling it a night. Once they took care of the mess that they made and tidied up Jaehyun’s belongings, it was only 10:00 pm, but Jaehyun was exhausted. After turning all the lights off, Doyoung set his alarm for the morning, and joined Jaehyun under the covers.

Doyoung can feel that Jaehyun is sulking from where he was laying on bed and reached over to wrap an arm around his waist.

“What’s wrong?” He asked softly.

Jaehyun snuggles into his embrace before answering, “it’s just the case I’m on right now, it’s kind of tricky. There’s not much evidence that supports our claim but I can’t let him get away with what he did to my client.”

Doyoung sighs while he cuddles closer, “you’ll figure it out. You are _the_ Jung Jaehyun. Get a good night’s sleep and it’ll clear your head.”

Doyoung and Jaehyun went to Young Jewellery the next day and was greeted by a woman in her early 30s. “Oh, Mr. Jung, lovely to see you again. What brings you here today?”

Jaehyun laced his fingers with Doyoung’s, “actually, we need wedding rings…”

The woman, Tiffany, sits the two men down in front of the counter as she consulted them on what kind of rings they were looking for. When they were asked about why they did not have their engagement rings on, Jaehyun squeezed Doyoung’s thigh to notify him that he’ll take care of it, and simply stated that they left them at home just in case they forget to take them back after ring fitting today. 

It only took about twenty more minutes until they came to a conclusion. It was a simple white gold band with two small engraved marks on the outside. Tiffany offered to engrave anything on the inside for free and Doyoung beamed at that. They asked if they could engrave each other’s korean initials on the inside. “Sure,” she replied, smiling at the sight of how excited Doyoung was. 

They were told that the engraving should be complete in an hour. Jaehyun had to leave whilst Doyoung had to get lunch, so both of them leave, telling Tiffany that Doyoung will be back in an hour. 

They headed out the door and it was time for them to part. Jaehyun grabs the older’s hand and pulls him close to place a small peck on his cheeks. 

“Tiffany’s watching,” Jaehyun whispered.

Doyoung found himself involuntarily blushing again and could only squeeze Jaehyun’s hand back. 

“Bye, _babe_.”

Doyoung waved his fiance goodbye as he drove away. 

An hour and a burrito later, Doyoung heads back into the shop to pick up the rings. He was greeted by a warm smile from behind the counter.

“You two are so cute together,” Tiffany cooed as she pulled up the boxes with the rings.

“Ah…” Doyoung flushed, “Thank you…”

“Haha,” she laughed at his shy expression, “here, take a look at them.”

Doyoung’s eyes sparkled as he saw the small ‘ㅈ’ and ‘ㄷ’ engraved on the underside of their respective rings. Tiffany helped him bag the rings after he’s checked them. 

“Have a nice day, Doyoung!”

“You too, Tiffany!”

Doyoung skips back to campus. 

Friday comes by quickly and all their friends were gathered at Jaehyun’s apartment at night for a celebration. A celebration for a bunch of people in their mid-late twenties is ordering a bunch of pizzas, drinking bottles of beer and liquor, and watching movies on Jaehyun’s flat screen. 

11 men sprawled across Jaehyun’s living room. Donghyuck tackling Mark on the floor, Ten, Taeyong, Johnny, and Taeil sitting on the couch, Sicheng, Jungwoo, and Yuta sitting in front of the TV, watching attentively, and Doyoung sitting on Jaehyun’s lap in front of the couch. Marriage Story, their third movie on the list, played on the TV as the boys devoured their pizzas. Doyoung fell asleep by the end of the film and Jaehyun woke him up with a soft voice, “baby, wake up.”

Doyoung rubbed his eyes and Jaehyun decided that getting married might be the best decision he’s made in his life. He continues to caress his side until the other is fully awake; both in their own world, unaware of the many pairs of eyes staring at their interaction. 

They all headed to the kitchen where the last bottles of liquor.

“Here’s to Doyoung and Jaehyun’s not so fake marriage, we wish you all the best, let’s hope Doyoung doesn’t get deported.”

Shot glasses clinked together as shitty EDM music played from Yuta’s phone.

Taeyong and Johnny pulled Jaehyun to the side.

“You okay there, Jae?” Johnny asked.

“Just peachy, John.”

Johnny looked at him with concerned eyes.

“Really, I mean it. He looks,” he turns to see Doyoung downing more shots with Yuta and Donghyuck, “happy. And you know... that’s all I really want.”

Taeyong ruffled his hair, “you’re doing well, Jaehyun-ah. We’re here for you, you know that right?”

Jaehyun gave the two older men a reassuring smile.

Once they’ve all had enough booze, and Doyoung and Donghyuck had their weekly dose of bickering with each other, the other 9 men leave Jaehyun’s apartment, leaving Jaehyun with a tipsy and flushed Doyoung. 

Jaehyun finally closed his apartment door, and turned around to find Doyoung lying on his couch, humming a song. 

“Come on, go get a shower now.” Jaehyun cooed endearingly. 

“Nooo…” Doyoung whined.

Jaehyun laughed, “You’ll feel better afterwards.”

“No.”

“You smell.”

“No I don’t!” Doyoung exclaimed.

Jaehyun got up close to Doyoung’s neck and whispered, “yes, you do.”

Jaehyun stood up straight and offered his hand to pull the other up. “Come on.” He takes notice of the blush that forms on the tips of Doyoung’s ears.

Doyoung took his hand and crashed into Jaehyun. Jaehyun felt the warmth press up against his front as Doyoung wrapped his arms around his neck. “Thank you, Jaehyun-ie. I love you. You know that right? By the way, you smell as well.”

Jaehyun chuckles but his heart clenches. “Yeah, yeah. Go shower now.”

As soon as Jaehyun heard the bathroom door shut, he collapsed onto his couch, clutching his pounding chest with his hands. 

Soon, it was Saturday morning, and it was the day where they needed to get their marriage license. They drove a state over to their local ministry to get married.

It was only about noon when they arrived at the ministry, and signing the papers wasn’t much work, so they were our rather early, earning themselves a few free hours before having to pick the license up. 

They went into a nearby cafe to have lunch, then strolled around a nice park until they found a nice place to sit. 

They sat by a tree, facing a large pond, casually catching up with each other.

“Anything exciting lately?” Doyoung asked.

“Hmm,” Jaehyun pursed his lips, “we managed to secure some evidence for the case and my assistant keeps hitting on the new intern. Poor boy barely graduated from college and Jaemin’s already scaring him off.”

Doyoung chuckled at that, “ah, I miss Jaemin. You know, Jae, he’s more interesting than you.”

“Um, excuse me, _fiance_ , do you want to marry him instead?”

“Sure, if he’s American.” Jaehyun feigns an offended expression.

They continued talking about their workplace drama until a comfortable silence took over them. Doyoung leaned against the tree while Jaehyun laid his head on Doyoung’s lap. They were both zoned out looking at the beautiful scenery until Doyoung asks,

“As a legal person, do you think that what we’re doing is, like, okay?”

Jaehyun thinks, _not to my heart, no_ , before replying, “ah, well, technically, yes. It’s legally illegal to obtain residency if your marriage is a fraud. But, it is really hard to verify that your entire marriage is a fraud. Sure, you can get jailed and fined but honestly the chances are not high because divorce rates are astronomical these days.”

“Excuse me, I can get jailed?”

“Well yes, you could. If you’re not careful. But that kind of punishment is usually for those who are conspiring against the government or something like that. Worst case for you is probably you get deported and lose your job. Something along those lines.” Jaehyun’s voice slowly softens.

“Um. Fuck?”

“Have more faith in yourself.”

“Aren’t you worried?”

“Well, it will mostly be you who will get in trouble. So, not really.”

Doyoung smacks him on the forehead.

“Don’t stress too much, it’s a good thing you’re getting married to an attorney. This’ll be over in no time.” 

Doyoung doesn’t know if his ears are playing with him, or if the last part of what Jaehyun said sounded sad, almost. 

Sunday, Jaehyun goes to pick up their marriage license.

Monday, they return back to their normal lives. Doyoung goes back to teaching sleep-deprived young adults and Jaehyun goes back to working on his case. They hung out once or twice, having lunch or dinner with each other, but with midterms coming up for Doyoung and the trial for Jaehyun, neither of them saw each other much. 

Saturday, they get married. With Mark’s help, they managed to book a time slot to get married at his church, with Mark and Donghyuck as their witnesses and the local priest as their officiate. Neither of them saw each other in the morning, honouring the tradition of not seeing your spouse before walking down the aisle (honestly it was just because they both had work to finish in the morning). 

Doyoung arrived earlier than Jaehyun so he stood at the front of the pews. In the seats, he sees a few friends, Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, and the rest of the gang, Sooyoung, her partner Seulgi, Jaemin, et cetera. A few did surprise him, however. There was Tiffany, the jeweller, a man that she’s with, and a young looking boy next to Jaemin, presumably Jaehyun’s new intern. 

Doyoung puffs out a breath of air nervously as he looked over to his best man, Ten. Ten nodded at him knowingly and offered him a small smile.

Jaehyun, like Doyoung, was rather nervous. The thought of having to _kiss_ Doyoung just dawned on him. 

The church door opened sooner than Jaehyun anticipated and his breath was absolutely taken away by his soon-to-be husband standing at the fronch of the church. His jet black hair was swept up, dressed in a black suit paired with a black bowtie, just as Jaehyun is himself. 

Here Comes the Bride plays from the church’s organ as Jaehyun marches down the aisle, Mark tailing behind as his best man. 

Doyoung’s smile grows big when he sees the dimpled smirk on his fiance’s face. 

They held each other’s hands as they both step into their respective places. The priest begins, “Friends, Family, welcome, and thank you all for being here. We are gathered here today to celebrate the union between Jaehyun Jung and Doyoung Kim.” The grooms share a chuckle when Doyoung’s name was pronounced as _doo-young_ by the priest.

The opening words seem to drag on for what felt like years, but soon they moved onto vows. 

Jaehyun and Doyoung’s vows were rushed last night as they changed words on samples they found on the internet. 

“... most importantly, I promise that you will have permanent residency in my heart. Forever.” 

Jaehyun feels like he’s dreaming when he sees the sparkle in Doyoung’s eyes when the latter finishes up his speech.

“... most importantly,” Jaehyun ends his speech like Doyoung does, “I promise to love you with my whole heart. Always.”

Doyoung does not know why, but he felt like he was about to melt into a puddle.

They hear a clap from the audience and whooping from Yuta.

The officiant motioned Donghyuck to come forward as the ring bearer.

They take turns to slip the rings on to each other’s ring fingers as they hear Tiffany cheer at the back.

“Do you, Doyoung Kim, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do.”

“And do you, Jaehyun Jung, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do.”

“You may kiss the groom.”

For a moment, Jaehyun felt like his whole world had stopped spinning. He detached his hand from Doyoung’s and wrapped them around the latter’s waist. Doyoung immediately brought his palms up to cup Jaehyun’s face. 

As soon as their lips connect, they hear a mixture of gasping and cheering and a “go boss!” from Jaemin. 

Right after Jaehyun pulled away, Doyoung swung his arms around Jaehyun’s neck and went in for another kiss. 

Jaehyun could only pray to god that Doyoung does not hear his pounding heart. 

Unbeknownst to him, Doyoung’s heart, too, was pounding as if this was his last breath. 

The newly wed went to greet Tiffany first, knowing that it would be a lot easier once everyone who did not know of their _plan_ were out of here first. 

She said her congratulations and was kind enough not to enquire as to why they did not have family here. 

Shit. Family. 

“Jaehyun did you tell your family that we’re getting married?”

“Yeah, I did. They said they won’t bother flying here ‘cause, you know.”

_”Ah, our Jaehyun-ie, how is my baby doing?”_

_“Mom,” he paused, “I don’t want you to freak out, but I’m getting married.”_

_“You’re wha- who? Doyoung? When? Why?”_

_Jaehyun blushed on the opposite of the line. His mom knows him too well._

_“Honey,” she called for Jaehyun's dad, “Jaehyun-ie is getting married.”_

_“WHAT?” He heard his dad exclaim, “To who? Doyoung?”_

_So maybe both his parents know him too well._

_“Calm down, mom. It’s not, uh, real?”_

_He took the rest of the evening explaining everything and calming his parents down._

_“You guys don’t have to come here. I’ll be sure to tell you in advance if I ever get married again for real.”_

Doyoung just blinked at him.

“Please tell me you told your mom.” 

“I, uh, it must have, um, slipped my mind?”

“Doyoung.”

“Yes…”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Your idiot. Officially, now. It’s fine, I’ll just tell her tonight, I guess.”

Jaehyun detached himself from Doyoung side to talk to his employees.

Ten snuck up from behind Doyoung, “Boo!”

“Ah, you scared me.” Doyoung said, sarcastically.

“Two? Kim Doyoung?”

He looked around to make sure no one else was listening in, “What? I had to make it look convincing…”

“Hmm… sure. No offence, I won’t kiss you like that.”

“Yeah, I won’t either.”

“Okay, Doyoung.”

“Okay, Ten.”

The group of friends, along with Jaemin and the new intern, whom Doyoung learns to be Jeno, grabbed a late lunch together. Doyoung and Jaehyun were going to treat everyone to Korean Barbeque. 

Rounds and rounds of meat, chatter, and laughter later, everyone was full and the newlyweds’ bank accounts were crying. 

They all parted ways and Doyoung could finally relax when he was home. Home? He meant Jaehyun’s apartment. 

He called his mom bravely, expecting scolds and threats, instead, she couldn’t be more happy. Though she was rather upset he didn’t tell her earlier, fake marriage or not, she would have flown over. 

Half way through his mother-in-law’s nagging, Jaehyun receives his own phone call.

“Hello?”

“Boss!” Jaemin’s voice rang from the other side of the line, “Sorry to bother, but Jeno might have found some new evidence. I mean it would be best if you came back because theres 2 boxes of this stuff, but we can go through it if you’re, um, _busy_.” Jaehyun hears Jeno cough. 

“That’s great news, Jaem. I’ll be there in 10. Thanks.” 

Jaehyun peeps out of the kitchen to see Doyoung still on the phone with his mom.

“I know, I know,” Doyoung sighs.

He wrote a short note to give to Doyoung, ‘new evidence came in. don’t know what time i’ll be back :(‘

He walks up to his husband to hand him the note. Almost instinctively, he leans down to kiss Doyoung’s cheek. He walks out the door before he realises what he’s just done. 

_Oh, for fucks sake, Jaehyun. Did I really just-_

He dashes for the elevator.

Back in the house, it also took Doyoung sometime to realise what just happened. 

“No, Mark is the Canadian-”, he froze when the door locked.

_Does he usually do that?_

“Hello? Doyoung-ie?”

“Ah, yeah, sorry mom. Where was I?”

“Did Jaehyun just leave?”

“Oh, yeah, he just did.” Doyoung felt his cheeks burn up. 

“They grow up so fast,” Doyoung’s mom sighed endearingly.

“W-what do you mean. I haven’t grown much since I last called…”

“Doyoung-ah.”

“Yes, momma?”

“You caught feelings right?”

Doyoung let out a _pffft_ , “No way,” he chuckled nervously.

“Mother knows best. So, you do, right?”

Neither of them brought up the accident again.

Later that night, well it was more like two in the morning, Jaehyun found Doyoung fast asleep on his bed. After his night time routine, he joined the elder underneath the covers. Jaehyun couldn’t resist running his fingers through Doyoung’s hair. _How can a 26 year old math professor look this soft?_ Jaehyun thinks back to their kiss this morning and started blushing to himself like a hormonal teenager. How was he supposed to get over him now?

With a peck on the top of the elder’s head, Jaehyun also falls into a deep slumber.

Doyoung dreams of a blushing dimpled boy kissing him senseless.

A few weeks later, Jaehyun receives their certificate in the mail. 

He sends a photo of it to Doyoung. 

**To: Dongyoung**  
_Attachment: IMG_6318  
Look what arrived!! _

**From: Dongyoung**  
_oh dear reality is hitting me rn  
does this mean we can apply for the interview now?_

**To: Dongyoung**  
_Yeah  
Come over tonight?_

**From: Dongyoung**  
_i struggle to find many nights where i’m not there  
i’ll be later today though  
some students wanted a small tutorial after their classes_

**To: Dongyoung**  
_np babe ;)_

**From: Dongyoung**  
_ew_

_;)_

A few more weeks later, it was the day. They were both dressed smartly for the interview, as advised online, and were prepared for any sort of question they might throw over. 

They waited outside the interview room. Doyoung had his arm looped around Jaehyun’s, calming each other down. Jaehyun stood up to loosen his nerves. He flung his limbs around, making Doyoung laugh. 

“Come,” Jaehyun motioned for Doyoung to stand up. 

Doyoung gave him a look of confusion before doing as he’s been told.

Jaehyun immediately wrapped his arm around Doyoung’s shoulders and Doyoung had the audacity to _giggle_. Jaehyun’s heart raced.

“Wow, your heart is pounding very fast. You good?” Doyoung asked softly as he wrapped his arms around the younger’s waist. 

“Yeah, it’s just the nerves. I don’t want us to mess up.”

“We won’t. We’re telepathic, Jae.” Their teachers have always said that when they younger, getting out of trouble smoothly because they could always easily patch up a story. 

The door opens while they were still standing in each other’s embrace. _Affection: good first impression._

“Welcome, Gentlemen.” The officer ran through the standard introductory procedure.

_How did you two meet?_

“We went to school together, from middle school onwards, in Korea.”

_When did you start dating?_

“We started dating in the first year of our freshman year of college. Turns out we both liked each other.”

_Who proposed?_

Doyoung looked at Jaehyun with as much love as he could muster before answering, “He did.”

_When is your anniversary?_

“February 14th. Valentines day.”

“Also his birthday.” Jaehyun looked at Doyoung for a moment. Doyoung looked back at him.He felt like drowning.

_Have you met each other’s families?_

“Yes, when we were young. We met each other’s parents as friends but not yet as partners. They’re not very approving of this relationship.” Jaehyun rested his hand on Doyoung’s thigh, squeezing gently. It was a complete lie, both their parents could not be more supportive of their queer sons.

_Did they attend the wedding?_

“No. They did not.”

Rounds and rounds of question later. They get separated. 

_Don’t worry, we do this often. We just had a few more questions to ask you individually._

_When is your husband’s birthday?_

“February 14th”  
“February 1st”

_Describe your first date._

Both Doyoung and Jaehyun tell them a story of eating at an Italian restaurant and attempting to do the Lady and the Tramp thing but failing horribly. 

_What is your spouse’s occupation?_

“Attorney. The Origin Law Offices.”  
“He’s a Mathematics Professor at the University of Chicago.”

_What do you love most about your husband?_

“Oh wow.” Doyoung seems taken aback but this is the question that he’s the most confident in.

Jaehyun chuckles to himself, “What don’t I love about him.”

Doyoung offers the officer a small smile, “Sorry I’ve never been asked this properly before.”

“I truly don’t think I can pinpoint one thing if I tried,” Jaehyun starts off slow, “It could be the way he gives spontaneous hugs and cuddles; it could be his intelligence, definitely one of the smartest people I know; it may be how forgiving he is and how he always puts other people first, or maybe even his competitiveness and how sometimes that puts us in tricky situations; perhaps it’s the way he looks in his glasses and my clothes. He’s the love of my life. He never fails to make me feel important and whenever I’m with him, I feel like I’m on top of the world.” Jaehyun could ramble for hours on end about how he fell in love with his best friend.

Doyoung speaks after thinking about the past decade and a half they’ve spent together. “The way he looks at me like I’m the most precious thing in the world to him. How he always manages to compliment me even at my lowest points and make me feel special. It’s the little things. Like, how he knows my order at all our favourite restaurants, how he puts his hand on my thigh during scary scenes in movies, and the fact that he never complains about his arm being dead even if I’ve leaned on it for way too long,” Doyoung pauses for a while, “I’m really lucky to have fallen in love with my best friend.”

They were both released soon. Jaehyun notices that something was off with Doyoung. He doesn’t bother the elder, knowing that he will talk about it at his own pace. It wasn’t obvious, either; he just looks a little sadder than usual, forcing smiles upon his face. 

_”What did you think about them?”_

_“They had the ‘honeymoon gaze’. Felt genuine, yeah? Haven’t seen a couple that in love in a while, honestly。”_

“Did yours go well?” Jaehyun asks after they ordered food at a restaurant nearby.

“Yeah, yeah. I think so. I got the story straight.” Doyoung smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“What kind of questions did they ask you?”

Doyoung goes through the ones he could remember, deliberately ignoring the last question they asked.

They finished their meals in relative silence, enjoying their food, cracking a few jokes here and there.

“I think I’m gonna walk home now.” Doyoung tells Jaehyun outside the restaurant.

“Want me to drive?”

“No, it’s alright. You’re going the opposite direction if you drive me.”

“I don’t mind.”

Doyoung offers him a reassuring smile, the first one that looks genuine since they came out of the interviews, “Go work on your case, Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun pouts but listens anyways. Doyoung doesn’t move until he sees that Jaehyun’s zoomed off.

He immediately let his shoulders sag and let out the breath that he was holding in.

On the way home, he thought about many things. About how he and Jaehyun became friends, how they then became best friends, how they managed to attend the same university, their short lived time as roommates, to more recent memories like going back home for thanksgiving, signing their marriage certificate and more.

Doyoung let himself collapse in front of his door right after he locked it. He took a few deep breaths before fishing out his phone. 

_Ten Chittaphon Yongqin Leechaiyapornkul_. His fingered hovered over the contact.

 _Brrr brrr. Brrr brrr._ Doyoung raises his phone up to his ear, waiting for the other to pick up.

“Hello? Kim Dongyoung?”

“Ten…” 

Ten could hear Doyoung’s wariness on the other side of the line.

“Did the interview not go well, Dons?”

“No, it went great, actually. I just…”

The line was silent for a bit.

“I fucked up, Ten. I’m fucked up.”

“Aw baby what’s wrong? Need me to come over right now?”

“No, no, that’s fine. I want to spend some time alone first.”

“Is it your job?”

“No, everythings going great.”

“Money problems?”

“No, not that either.”

“So…”

“I think I’m in love.”

“Oh finally.”

“What? Ten, I’m serious.”

**From: Jaehyunnieeeee**  
_HEy I can get off work early today, wanna have dinner tgt!?!?  
We haven’t done that in a while :( _

**To: Jaehyunieeeee**  
_sorry :( i have tons of papers to mark_

Not a complete lie, his freshman classes just finished their mocks. But, Doyoung’s specialty is marking. He can get through this stack of paper within a few lunch breaks.

**From: Jaehyunnieeeee**  
_Doyoung :(_

**To: Jaehyunieeeee**  
_Jaehyun :((  
u saw me on over the weekend :(_

**From: Jaehyunnieeeee**  
_But but but we barely had the chance to chat that day :(  
I didn’t want to ask on the day but r u feeling better? Wanna talk about it?_

**To: Jaehyunieeeee**  
_yeah i’m fine  
think it might be the guilty conscience…_

**From: Jaehyunnieeeee**  
_Okay :( I’ll see if Jaem wants to eat with me I guess…  
I’ll miss you_

**To: Jaehyunieeeee**  
_clingy_

**From: Jaehyunnieeeee**  
_You love me_

_I do._

**To: Jaehyunieeeee**  
_So do you_

_I really do._

And then another week goes by. And another. They do meet quite a few times, things feel more normal but Jaehyun can tell something is still up. For starters, Doyoung actually went home after dinner at Jaehyun’s place. The younger also noticed that Doyoung flinched more often when he came close. Even further, Doyoung’s just always busy these days, unavailable all the time.

This made Jaehyun upset. Clearly he did something that irritated Doyoung, he just couldn’t pinpoint what it was, specifically. 

Still, another week goes by. Everything seems intact on the outside, but inside, it was breaking both Jaehyun and Doyoung. 

Doyoung has many moments where he wishes he could just bask in Jaehyun’s embrace again, but he knows that keeping his distance is good. His heart has to sort himself out.

Jaehyun just wants Doyoung to be the one who reaches out. He’s initiated four out of every five of their hangouts. He just wants them to be best friends, again. 

It wasn’t until the night when Jaehyun finally finished the case he was working on. It was a victorious Friday. They won, obviously. The bastard got the time he deserved and his client thanked him endlessly, even offering to pay for a celebration. But there’s no one he really wanted to celebrate with except for His Doyoung. 

Jaehyun shook his head. _His Best Friend Doyoung. The same friend he’s married to. Friends, nonetheless._

He drove up to a familiar apartment block.

Jaehyun knocked on the door. They don’t spend much time in Doyoung’s apartment because its smaller than Jaehyun’s.

When Doyoung opens the door, he spots a young woman sitting on his couch. His heart was about to break when he remembered it was only Sooyoung. And Doyoung is gay, not bisexual like him. _Everything is okay_ , he convinces himself.

“Hi.” Jaehyun said, breathless because of how _good_ Doyoung looks in his glasses today. 

“Jae.” Doyoung offers a big smile, but it wasn’t as big as his usual ones. 

“Sorry, I didn’t know you’d have company today. I-”

“That’s alright,” Sooyoung announced, “I can leave you guys to it. I miss Seulgi anyways. See you, Professor Kim.”

When Sooyoung saw herself out, Jaehyun beamed at Doyoung. 

“We did it. He got 14 years. I can’t believe it.”

Doyoung couldn’t resist hugging him; it wouldn’t be fair on Jaehyun anyways. He wraps his arms around Jaehyun as tightly as possible.

“See, I told you you could do it. I’m so proud of you, Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun felt like he was about to melt, being in Doyoung’s embrace, so close that he could smell his minty shampoo, hearing that soft voice of his calling his name.

“Thank you. Can we get some food?”

Jaehyun feels Doyoung chuckle. “Sure, Jaehyun-ie. Or would you like me to cook? I was going to cook with Sooyoung anyways.”

Jaehyun pulls away to look at Doyoung with complete adoration, “Really?” He exclaimed, “I haven’t had your cooking in a long time.”

“Consider this a special treat then.”

Jaehyun tried to help as much as possible, but it isn’t his fault that he was born with the worst hand-eye coordination known to man. After he almost knocked over Doyoung’s bottle of oil for the third time that night, Doyoung finally speaks up. “Jae just go sit.”

From his peripheral vision, Doyoung sees Jaehyun pouting but did put down the bottle of oil he caught and walked around the small kitchen island. What he did not expect was for a pair of strong arms to wrap around his waist from the back. Doyoung flinches under Jaehyun’s touch.

Doyoung suddenly feels extra hot when Jaehyun rests his chin on Doyoung’s shoulder.

Jaehyun takes an extra deep breath and sighs contently, “It smells so nice.”

“If I burn this, it will be all your fault.” Doyoung manages to say, as stable as he could muster.

Jaehyun whines before letting Doyoung go, sitting back at the kitchen island. 

During dinner, they chat like they haven’t seen each other in ten years. It reminds Doyoung of why they were best friends in the first place. 

Afterwards, Jaehyun offers to wash the dishes but Doyoung refuses, insisting that the guest should take a break. Doyoung forgot that Jaehyun was one of the best lawyers in the state if not the entire midwest. It didn’t take too long for Jaehyun to convince Doyoung to let him wash the dishes while the latter dries. 

The whole scene was so domestic it made Doyoung want to sob.

They watched Tangled after the mess was cleaned up. A month ago, they would literally be tangled on the couch, but today, Doyoung sat as far on the side as possible. Though it pained him, Jaehyun did not bother bringing him closer.

Jaehyun’s had a long day. He fell asleep when Rapunzel and Flynn were trapped in the cave and Doyoung did not have the heart to wake him up before the movie ended.

Rapunzel had her happy ending. Doyoung wonders if he can ever have his.

Doyoung shook Jaehyun gently. “Jaehyun-ah. The film finished, you fell asleep halfway. We can go to bed now, if you want. But you should shower and stuff first.”

Jaehyun nodded groggily. He hauled himself to take a hot steamy shower, washed his face, and brushed his teeth with a spare toothbrush he leaves at Doyoung’s.

He clambers onto Doyoung’s bed and was about to fall asleep again, before he remembered one of the reasons which brought him here today. 

He goes through, in his head, how he was going to confront Doyoung about being more distant lately. He played with the ring on his finger. He pulled it off to reveal Doyoung’s Korean initial on the underside. He rubbed his finger on the engraving before slipping the ring back on. 

Jaehyun sat under the covers lost in thought. His trance was broken when Doyoung came back after doing his night time routine. 

“Tired?” Doyoung asked.

“Mm okay.”

“Want me to switch the lights off?”

“Uhm. Can you come here, for a sec?”

Jaehyun sat up straight and patted on the other side of the double bed, signalling for Doyoung to sit there. 

Doyoung sat just as he was asked to without much thought.

“Did I do something wrong?” Jaehyun asked, head hung low.

“Huh? What makes you think that?” Doyoung was taken aback.

Jaehyun shrugged, “I don’t know, it’s just that… I don’t know, ever since we came out of that interview something’s just been off, no? I- Did I do something wrong? If I did, can you please tell me?”

“Jaehyun, it’s not you…” Doyoung’s avoiding eye contact as well, “I’m just… busy.”

“Doyoung, please, I know you better than that.”

“Really, I’ve just been caught up with work.”

Jaehyun knows there’s more to it, but he does not prod any longer.

Doyoung goes to turn off the lights then crawls under his duvet. 

He flinches again when Jaehyun wraps his arm around his waist.

With a strong grip, Jaehyun flips Doyoung over to face him.

“Let’s resolve this now. I can’t have my husband upset with me.” Jaehyun retracts his hand.

Even in the dark, Doyoung can tell Jaehyun is sulking. 

“I’m not upset,” Doyoung states, voice low.

“Then why have you been avoiding me? Why do you flinch everytime I touch you? Why are you quieter than usual?” Jaehyun’s voice crack towards the end. His heart aches.

“I’m- I just-” Doyoung fails to voice out his thoughts. 

He could always just lie: tell a white lie, say that he’s been physically unwell, or even seeing someone else, or-

“Did you find out?” Jaehyun asks, voice not louder than a whisper, “is that why you’ve been different?”

“What-”

“Well,” Doyoung hears how broken Jaehyun sounds, “I’m sorry. I can’t help my feelings, Doyoung. I’m sorry I wasn’t truthful. I’m sorry I agreed even though I knew I would only fall deeper. I can’t help but love you. I was hoping we would still be okay even when you found out, and I still do hope, but if you’re not, that’s okay too. If we can’t be close friends anymore, I still wish to stay in contact.” At this point, Jaehyun has risen, sitting up straight.

Jaehyun’s eyes brim with tears as he sees how the moonlight shines so beautifully on Doyoung’s features. There is an unreadable expression on the elder’s face.

“Sorry for coming uninvited today, Doyoung. I had a good time, though. I can see myself out, you should get some rest.” Voice shaky, hands gripping the sheets tightly.

Just before Jaehyun was able to stand up, Doyoung pushed himself up and reached for Jaehyun’s arm. Doyoung stopped Jaehyun from leaving, a surprised expression appeared on Jaehyun’s _perfect_ face. Doyoung sat up properly, their faces were mere centimeters apart.

“Say it again.”

When Jaehyun finally came to his senses, he said gently, “I love you. I love you so much.”

Equally gently, Doyoung asked, “Can I kiss you?”

“Please.”

They stayed up late that night, they had lots to catch up on. 

Doyoung explained why he’s been distant, earning a smack from the younger. _”I can’t believe you. I thought I fucked up.”_

Jaehyun told Doyoung for how long he’s loved him for, earning a passionate kiss from the elder. _”I love you so much.”_

The next time they meet with their friends, they pointed out how they’ve been clingier than usual: holding hands out in the open, even more frequent stares.

The couple responded by making out. 

“Oh thank fuck,” Ten says, exasperated, “You’re fucking welcome, by the way.”

And, finally, Jaehyun and Doyoung got the news that Doyoung’s green card had been approved. 

“Suck it, Chittaphon.”

**Author's Note:**

> _"See, I told you." Doyoung's mom cooed after Doyoung broke the news to her._
> 
> _"Yeah, yeah, you were right."_
> 
> _"I'm happy for you. Our Doyoung-ie is finally growing up. Let me say hi to Jaehyun."_
> 
> _Doyoung handed the phone to Jaehyun, "'Eomma'!" Jaehyun called in his sweetest voice, "How are you doing?"_
> 
> _"You are such a suck up, I can't believe I'm in love with you."_
> 
> follow me on twt! @/jlsungbb


End file.
